Knee friendly workout for legs?

I am 5'9 weighing 225lbs. Should I focus my workouts on leg presses or sprinting hiit?
I can leg press 625lbs 20 times for 5 sets but am afraid to add more weight because I'm afraid of putting too much pressure on my joints.

+1 for full ROM. The worst is when you see guys at the gym- with bands around their knees- load up the leg press with some obscene amount of weight end barely move their legs 2 inches and consider that 1 rep. Ego workouts.

Awesome answer, Lars. Rhubarb, if a marathon is something a person really wants to do, then that's a compromise he or she is free to choose. Mark Sisson explains it better than I ever could (http://www.marksdailyapple.com/case-against-cardio/). I like a good hard mile as part of my workout here and there, and I certainly like to sprint. However, I'm in the camp of folks that think there are healthier forms of exercise than excessive running.

Oh, and the worst thing you can do is squat only halfway down - ie. "going parallel" which is how many men's magazines tell you to do it. That's how the cool guys squat because they can add many more plates to the bar. The problem is the knee is at its weakest point, and you are stopping and starting the motion there. It's much better to go all the way down - you won't go too heavy, and it's a more natural range of motion.

Seconded on squatting. I had a nagging knee problem until I started doing DEEP front squats - so deep I'd leave a streak on the ground if I didn't wear pants :P Just learn proper form, preferably with a personal trainer who's done more than a weekend course. Start light, build it up over weeks.

Seconded on squatting. I had a nagging knee problem until I started doing DEEP front squats - so deep I'd leave a streak on the ground if I didn't wear pants :P Just learn proper form, preferably with a personal trainer who's done more than a weekend course. Start light, build it up over weeks.
For more Paleo hacks: http://paleohacks.com/questions/79939/knee-friendly-workout-for-legs#ixzz1f6BdDdAT

Seconded on squatting. I had a nagging knee problem until I started doing DEEP front squats - so deep I'd leave a streak on the ground if I didn't wear pants :P
Just learn proper form, preferably with a personal trainer who's done more than a weekend course. Start light, build it up over weeks.

9
Answers

Squat. I have seen 65 year old men with total knee replacements squat semi heavy... Unless you have a VERY VALID reason, go learn how to squat heavy. Hell I do not think there is one TBH, one of my old mates squatted 2.5xBW with no ACL.

If your knee is fucked up enough that you "TRULY" cannot squat, time for a visit to the ortho doc! But ask yourself if you are just being a whiny bitch or are you honestly hurt? Cheers for being blunt today!

Seconded on squatting. I had a nagging knee problem until I started doing DEEP front squats - so deep I'd leave a streak on the ground if I didn't wear pants :P
Just learn proper form, preferably with a personal trainer who's done more than a weekend course. Start light, build it up over weeks.

Seconded on squatting. I had a nagging knee problem until I started doing DEEP front squats - so deep I'd leave a streak on the ground if I didn't wear pants :P Just learn proper form, preferably with a personal trainer who's done more than a weekend course. Start light, build it up over weeks.

Seconded on squatting. I had a nagging knee problem until I started doing DEEP front squats - so deep I'd leave a streak on the ground if I didn't wear pants :P Just learn proper form, preferably with a personal trainer who's done more than a weekend course. Start light, build it up over weeks.
For more Paleo hacks: http://paleohacks.com/questions/79939/knee-friendly-workout-for-legs#ixzz1f6BdDdAT

Oh, and the worst thing you can do is squat only halfway down - ie. "going parallel" which is how many men's magazines tell you to do it. That's how the cool guys squat because they can add many more plates to the bar. The problem is the knee is at its weakest point, and you are stopping and starting the motion there. It's much better to go all the way down - you won't go too heavy, and it's a more natural range of motion.

Stay away from the leg press, it forces your knees in an angle that's not good for you, and it doesn't translate into real world motion very well.

I'm totally in agreement with the other posts here who say squats are good. Start with low weight and work your way up avoiding all knee pain. You'll also want to make sure you're doing full range of motion (if you have to ask if you're going low enough in the squat, the answer is "no"), that's the best thing for your knees, stopping at our around parallel is where the stress is the biggest on the joint.

+1 for full ROM. The worst is when you see guys at the gym- with bands around their knees- load up the leg press with some obscene amount of weight end barely move their legs 2 inches and consider that 1 rep. Ego workouts.

Go to a physical therapist and get a diagnosis, then never go back! Just google it and find how to rehab online.

I wouldn't just jump into squats with a knee injury. If you're not distributing properly (which you aren't) that's bound to cause further damage.

Whatever your injury, the one consistent goal of rehab is to regain symmetry of strength. So you'll be isolating the injured leg and building the necessary muscle group to support the injury. Do this before any squats, lunges, plyometrics, anything really.

Regarding the knee, we need a lot more information regarding the type of pain you're experiencing. Where about is the pain? What type of activities make it hurt? Does it hurt more going up or down stairs? Does the pain go away once warmed up? Is it dull or sharp pain?

What does your exercise regime look like? You obviously run and do leg presses, what else? What sort of miles do you do each week? Do you do any other leg exercises beside presses?

The potential problem with leg presses is that it's a very quad dominant exercise, it doesn't do a lot in recruiting the hamstrings or the glutes - so the issue can be if you're only doing leg presses you may develop muscle imbalances, and when these occur in your leg and then pull unevenly on the knee, it may hinder the knee tracking correctly.

If you squat with correct form and below parallel, you equal out the forces on the knee by recruiting the quads, hamstrings, glutes and hips in a balanced manner.

Mark Rippetoe's book, Starting Strength, is the best text I have read on perfecting squat form, though a few sessions with a decent coach will get you squatting well in no time, as the instant feed back of form corrections makes the process much faster and is worth the investment.

Of course your issues may not stem from imbalanced muscle issues, it could have some to do with running form, poor flexibility / mobility. When you run, do you heel strike?

BTW, is the leg-press weight thing standardized these days? I remember when you could brag about lifting a ton or more, but the weights were on an inclined ramp, nothing calibrated correctly, didn't mean diddly squat. Has that changed?

How do you like the water? I've got a meniscus tear & floating debris in my knee (getting it scoped is on my to-do list) and I'm enjoying the pool. A water aerobics class, in fact, and I've found it's not nearly so geeky/old lady as it sounds. I find it comparable to doing pilates when I've got the "good" instructor. And when I get distracted and hyperextend my bad knee, I don't end up yelping like I would on land.

Or yep, a bike. Or pilates! In my experience, a really good pilates instructor beats the pants off of most physical therapists. They're pickier and just as sophisticated. Reformer work has been great for my knee issues.

First, I would recommend some rest if the marathon has been completed recently. Second, I would recommend never running a marathon again. Third, I would recommend getting off the leg press thingy and squat. Start with bodyweight squats and see if your knee is fine with that. Then, progress to squats with the bar on your back, in front of you in the rack position, overhead with a barbell, holding a kettlebell or dumbbell in front of you and any other way you can think of to squat down. Leg presses are of very little benefit as they do not allow your core to get stronger. All human movement requires core stability and strength. Work your center and you will be better off.

Awesome answer, Lars. Rhubarb, if a marathon is something a person really wants to do, then that's a compromise he or she is free to choose. Mark Sisson explains it better than I ever could (http://www.marksdailyapple.com/case-against-cardio/). I like a good hard mile as part of my workout here and there, and I certainly like to sprint. However, I'm in the camp of folks that think there are healthier forms of exercise than excessive running.